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smapadatha
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How Does the GEBE System Work?
(An Introduction for the Curious, the Spurious, and the Furious)
The purpose of this article is to explain how the GEBE bike engine solution works, for those who have never owned one or seen one.
Golden Eagle Bicycle Company (bikeengines.com) sells gas engines that can be mounted on a standard bicycle, and mounting kits/drive system for getting it on there. The GEBE company doesn't manufacture engines. They re-sell small (about 50cc and under) engines from Tanaka and Robin/Subaru. The quality of these engines is excellent.
GEBE will sell you:
1. Just the mounting kit/drive system, if you already have an engine.
2. The engine and mounting kit/drive system.
They also have other stuff like spare parts and bicycle wheels (rim, spokes, hub) that are built to take the punishment that an engine dishes out to a bicycle.
There are several ways to hook a gas engine up to your bicycle. The GEBE company uses a belt system, which many people consider to be the most reliable. (Opinions vary on this topic. Some people prefer a chain system or a friction system, but GEBE doesn't sell those.) The heart of the GEBE system is not the engine, which they only re-sell, but their "drive ring".
The GEBE drive ring is a molded plastic wheel, 17 inches in diameter (outside diameter) and 1.5 inches wide.
The drive ring has slots molded into it which allow it to literally snap onto the spokes of your rear wheel, and teeth molded into it so that it grips the toothed belt they give you. It may not look like it from the pictures, but the slots on the ring snap onto 14 gauge spokes VERY securely. It's not easy getting the bleeping ring off, even when you want to. GEBE sells a 32 spoke version and a 36 spoke version of the drive ring.
In most cases, the GEBE drive ring will go on the left side of your rear wheel; that is, the "left" side if you were sitting normally on your bike. It's possible to mount a GEBE kit on your front wheel, but few people do this or recommend it.
Note that the drive ring sticks out from the side of the wheel. That's necessary so that the drive belt can slip over the ring and attach to the engine shaft. However, a wheel with a GEBE drive ring on it is so wide that it will not fit on all bike frames. For that reason, it's a lot easier if you buy the engine kit (and even a rear wheel) from GEBE *before* you buy your bike. If you already have a bike, you can measure your frame to see if the drive ring will fit, but it's a lot easier to have the wheel with the drive ring on it beforehand.
The GEBE mounting kit/drive system has the following main parts:
1. A heavy steel bracket that attaches the engine to your bike frame.
Installing a GEBE kit is like putting on a rear bike rack. The weight of the engine rests on a main bracket that attaches to your rear axle, although some people mount the main bracket directly to their frame.
The kit also comes with a stabilizer bar that prevents the engine from moving forwards or backwards. One end of the stabilizer bar attaches to a bolt on the engine and the other end attaches to your fender mounts or anything else around the back of your bike where you can thread a bolt.
2. The GEBE drive ring.
3. A "toothed" kevlar belt. They currently use one made by Gates.
4. If you buy your engine from GEBE, they will put a small gear on the engine shaft.
The basic steps for installing a GEBE kit are:
1. Snap the drive ring onto the spokes of your rear wheel.
2. Attach the engine to your bike using the main bracket and stabilizer bar.
3. Loop the kevlar belt around the drive shaft and drive ring.
3.1. The gear on the engine drive shaft meshes with the kevlar belt.
3.2. The kevlar belt goes around the drive ring.
3.3. The drive ring is attached to the spokes of your rear wheel.
MAKE BIKE GO!!
4. Attach the kill switch and the throttle to your bike. If you buy your engine from GEBE, it will come with a nice kill switch and throttle already attached.
5. Add gas and oil and try not to crash into stuff.
From the steps above you might assume that installing a GEBE kit is a piece of cake. Well...it should be. One the one hand, we aren't building the International Space Station here. On the other hand, a bicycle must meet certain requirements before you can GEBE-ify it. I will cover those in another rant...I mean post.
(An Introduction for the Curious, the Spurious, and the Furious)
The purpose of this article is to explain how the GEBE bike engine solution works, for those who have never owned one or seen one.
Golden Eagle Bicycle Company (bikeengines.com) sells gas engines that can be mounted on a standard bicycle, and mounting kits/drive system for getting it on there. The GEBE company doesn't manufacture engines. They re-sell small (about 50cc and under) engines from Tanaka and Robin/Subaru. The quality of these engines is excellent.
GEBE will sell you:
1. Just the mounting kit/drive system, if you already have an engine.
2. The engine and mounting kit/drive system.
They also have other stuff like spare parts and bicycle wheels (rim, spokes, hub) that are built to take the punishment that an engine dishes out to a bicycle.
There are several ways to hook a gas engine up to your bicycle. The GEBE company uses a belt system, which many people consider to be the most reliable. (Opinions vary on this topic. Some people prefer a chain system or a friction system, but GEBE doesn't sell those.) The heart of the GEBE system is not the engine, which they only re-sell, but their "drive ring".
The GEBE drive ring is a molded plastic wheel, 17 inches in diameter (outside diameter) and 1.5 inches wide.
The drive ring has slots molded into it which allow it to literally snap onto the spokes of your rear wheel, and teeth molded into it so that it grips the toothed belt they give you. It may not look like it from the pictures, but the slots on the ring snap onto 14 gauge spokes VERY securely. It's not easy getting the bleeping ring off, even when you want to. GEBE sells a 32 spoke version and a 36 spoke version of the drive ring.
In most cases, the GEBE drive ring will go on the left side of your rear wheel; that is, the "left" side if you were sitting normally on your bike. It's possible to mount a GEBE kit on your front wheel, but few people do this or recommend it.
Note that the drive ring sticks out from the side of the wheel. That's necessary so that the drive belt can slip over the ring and attach to the engine shaft. However, a wheel with a GEBE drive ring on it is so wide that it will not fit on all bike frames. For that reason, it's a lot easier if you buy the engine kit (and even a rear wheel) from GEBE *before* you buy your bike. If you already have a bike, you can measure your frame to see if the drive ring will fit, but it's a lot easier to have the wheel with the drive ring on it beforehand.
The GEBE mounting kit/drive system has the following main parts:
1. A heavy steel bracket that attaches the engine to your bike frame.
Installing a GEBE kit is like putting on a rear bike rack. The weight of the engine rests on a main bracket that attaches to your rear axle, although some people mount the main bracket directly to their frame.
The kit also comes with a stabilizer bar that prevents the engine from moving forwards or backwards. One end of the stabilizer bar attaches to a bolt on the engine and the other end attaches to your fender mounts or anything else around the back of your bike where you can thread a bolt.
2. The GEBE drive ring.
3. A "toothed" kevlar belt. They currently use one made by Gates.
4. If you buy your engine from GEBE, they will put a small gear on the engine shaft.
The basic steps for installing a GEBE kit are:
1. Snap the drive ring onto the spokes of your rear wheel.
2. Attach the engine to your bike using the main bracket and stabilizer bar.
3. Loop the kevlar belt around the drive shaft and drive ring.
3.1. The gear on the engine drive shaft meshes with the kevlar belt.
3.2. The kevlar belt goes around the drive ring.
3.3. The drive ring is attached to the spokes of your rear wheel.
MAKE BIKE GO!!
4. Attach the kill switch and the throttle to your bike. If you buy your engine from GEBE, it will come with a nice kill switch and throttle already attached.
5. Add gas and oil and try not to crash into stuff.
From the steps above you might assume that installing a GEBE kit is a piece of cake. Well...it should be. One the one hand, we aren't building the International Space Station here. On the other hand, a bicycle must meet certain requirements before you can GEBE-ify it. I will cover those in another rant...I mean post.
